


Shadow

by WeiXiao



Category: God Eater (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 08:24:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9539636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeiXiao/pseuds/WeiXiao
Summary: Having lived in his brother's shadow for years, Arthur Visconti sought to break the mold, only to find himself as a member of his brother's God Eater squad, the Blood Unit.Follows God Eater 2 Rage BurstProtagonist is in this situation Julius's younger brother





	1. Baptism

_“Julius, if you like, you’ll come live with me. I run a house called Magnolia Compass. I’m sure you’ll make a lot of friends.”_

_“Miss… who are you?”_

_“I’m Rachel Claudius. I know this is all so sudden, but… if it will make you smile, I’ll be your mother from now on.”_

_“O-ok…”_

_“Oh, and I’ll bring along your brother as well.”_

_“My brother gets to come also?”_

_“Well, yes. It wouldn’t be fair of me to separate brothers now, would it?”_

* * *

  **Years Later…**

* * *

 

Arthur took a deep breath as he lay on the table. This was the moment. He’d been in Magnolia Compass until this point and wanted out. Not because he didn’t like it there, no. It was because he had been gotten tired of living there. It was stressful, to say the least, being compared to the star student all the time.

In the end, he decided to become a god eater. Not because he wanted to follow his brother’s footsteps, but because he needed some way to escape the droll of living in Magnolia Compass. It wasn’t a bad place per se, he just wanted out.

Why a god eater though? That was a story for another time.

Ironically enough, that ended up with him lying on the table to be tested for Blood Special Forces. Blood Unit, which was led by Julius Visconti, his older brother. He joined the god eaters to escape being compared to his brother, and now he was being tested to join his brother’s squad.

Arthur Visconti was exhausted from being compared to Julius all the time. Everyone expected him to be like his brother. To be just as good. More often than not, the question was about when he would become a god eater like his brother.

He almost didn’t become a god eater. If not for the fact that he was rescued by a god eater squad when he had run away from Magnolia Compass once, he wouldn’t have joined. He idolized said god eater squad, mainly because of how cool they looked during their fight.

All in all, though, Arthur just wanted to be himself. Not Julius’s younger, troubled brother. Just plain old Arthur Visconti. Who also happened to be a god eater. Or potential god eater. Whatever. Something along that line.

Julius wasn’t a bad brother to Arthur, per se. They just didn’t spend much time together after they got to the orphanage. In fact, Julius spent much more time with their new foster mother than he did with Arthur, something which had bothered Arthur at first, but he had gotten used to it. And now they were supposed to learn to work together. Arthur found a bit of humor in that, but only a little.

“Please, try to relax. After all, you were chosen to be here. I shall now test your God Arc compatibility and your potential to join the anti-Aragami punitive forces. The God Eaters. I say test, but please, don’t concern yourself with such words. All will be well, I assure you. The Restless God already knows all about your nascent potential. I wish you the best of luck.” Dr. Rachel Claudius finished up.

As the words left her mouth, Arthur’s arm, which he had placed on his to-be weapon, was suddenly injected with fluid.

The only thing Arthur could do was scream in agony as the Bias Factor coursed through his veins.

* * *

 

Beneath Julius’s calm face, he was somewhat panicked. After all, this was his brother that was being tested. And while he wouldn’t say they were close, family was family regardless.

“Incompatible?” Julius asked, masking his fear.

“Not quite. Look closely.” Dr. Rachel looked gleeful.

Focusing on the screen, Julius saw that Arthur had gotten up, taking deep breaths, but very much calm, now that he had actually survived the trial. Julius let out a sigh of relief.

“You really should have more faith in your brother, Julius. He shows the same spirit that you did during your baptism.” Rachel turned the microphone back on. “Congratulations. You have risen where others would fall. You have become a God Eater. Soon, the power that sings in your veins will be awakened and you will join our elite special forces, the Blood Unit. But I suppose you don’t want to hear all about it. For now, rest. You must recover your strength. When the time comes, you along with the rest of Blood Unit will join the call to lead humanity to a new era.”

With that, Rachel closed off the communication. “I suppose you’ll want to go talk to Arthur now. It’s been a while since the two of you last interacted.”

Julius nodded. “Yes… I suppose so.”

The one thing Julius did notice before the screen went black: Arthur had chosen a long sword as the weapon for his God Arc. Just like he had.

* * *

 

Arthur groaned as he walked into the lobby of Friar, the base of operations for the Blood Unit. The bias factor injection still hurt like hell. It didn’t really help that there wasn’t any medicine that he could take to recover from it faster either. _I suppose I’ll just have to deal with it._

A moment later, a girl with short blonde hair waved him over. “Congratulations on passing the God Eater and Blood aptitude test. I’m Fran, your operator. Now that you’ve cleared the test, you’ve been granted access to the database. Just use your armlet to access your account.”

“Use the armlet to access the database. Got it. Thanks!” Arthur smiled lightly.

Fran’s face remained mostly serious, though a hint of camaraderie broke through. “Since your bias factor hasn’t fully bound to you yet, you can’t go on missions. While you’re waiting, how about taking up some time in the Garden? It’s the most relaxing place in Friar. Just take the elevator over there to access it.”

“We have a garden?” Arthur was curious.

Fran nodded. “A flower one, to be exact. Most of our workers like to go their when they’re off shift.”

“Ah, I get it. Thanks again, Fran!” Arthur walked off to the elevator.

When he got to the floor where the Garden was, he couldn’t help but express his surprise. “Julius.”

The Captain of Blood Unit looked up. “Ah, Arthur. It’s been far too long. Come, sit.”

Arthur leaned against the tree by Julius, smiling as he took in the scents.

He was about to doze off when Julius spoke up.

“How have things been for you. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit.” Julius asked.

Arthur smiled lightly. “I’ve been alright. It’s rather nice, getting a change of environment.”

“Right. Well, I have to get to work soon, but before I do, I think it would be best if people’s first impression of us was not of siblings. I would rather not have future members of Blood Unit assume that I am playing favorites.”

Arthur nodded. “I understand. Thank you, Captain.”

Julius chuckled. “I see you’re already learning the tricks. I’ll see you around, Arthur.”

After Julius left, Arthur’s smile faded from his face. “You still haven’t changed, brother.”

He didn’t mean it in a good way, either.

* * *

**Thoughts? Decent start?**


	2. Chapter 2

Training followed by very quickly, as Arthur stretched before heading down the stairs to the elevator. He blinked in slight surprise as he noticed a new girl in the area. Granted, he was new as well, but as of this new addition, he was the second most recent person to join the group. Thus, he only qualified somewhat as a new person. Maybe? While she was rather questionably clad, the armlet told Arthur all he needed to know. She was another god eater. Probably the most interesting thing was that she was munching on a sandwich. Plus, she had a bag that looked like it had even more food.

“Hey there! You were so super freaking amazing out there today! You’re a newbie, huh? I mean, new to this Blood… Special… Forces… you know what I mean.”

Arthur nodded. “Literally just joined yesterday. You too? I’m Arthur, by the way. What’s your name?”

“I’m Nana Kozuki, Second Class Cadet! Hehe, I just got brought up too! It’s so awesome to meet you!”

As she continued to munch on her food, Arthur couldn’t help but ask. “You really like your food, don’t you?”

“I sure do. Who doesn’t? Deliciousness is universal. A god eater’s gotta keep her strength up. Eating’s just another form of training, right? Right.”

Arthur’s eyes widened as Nana devoured the sandwich, which by all right should have taken around five minutes to eat, in just under five seconds. _Where does all that food go?_

“Oh, as a token of our new friendship, have a sandwich! It’s my mom’s super-secret-super-delicious recipe.”

Now that the sandwich was actually being shoved in his face, Arthur could actually examine it in detail. The thing that surprised him the most though, was that it appeared to be the ingredients for an oden placed in a bread. Seeing no other choice, he took the sandwich. People could be unintentionally pushy like that and Arthur simply didn’t have the heart to say no to that overenthusiastic face.

As Arthur took the sandwich, Nana’s head shot up. “Oh no, I almost forgot about training!” Picking up her bag, she ran off to the stairs. “I’ll see you later! Oh, by the way, I’ll be super mad if you leave even a single crumb, so enjoy!”

While Nana ran off, Arthur stared at the sandwich in abject horror. _How am I supposed to not leave even a single crumb?_

* * *

 

Julius went over the training logs, viewing all of the new members of Blood Unit. What was astounding was that Arthur seemed to be a natural. It was impressive, to say the least. Of all the rookies, Arthur seemed to be the best by far. Granted, it was only a training simulation, but good training results and on-field performance were decently correlated. There was one thing he couldn’t help but dwell on, though.

“When did he get so many longcoats?” Julius wondered aloud. Magnolia Compass orphans didn’t exactly go on shopping trips often, Arthur even less so. Even if the Visconti family was technically rich, they didn’t exactly flaunt the money, though Julius’s uniform was a tad on the fancy side. Somehow, Arthur seemed to have gotten his hands on multiple longcoats of differing colors.

Dr. Rachel explained with a chuckle as she looked at the records Julius was going over. “Arthur actually picked up sewing and knitting a while back for the sake of having a hobby. As it turned out, he was quite fond of long coats.”

“I see…”

Rachel changed the topic. “By the by, I heard that you and Arthur don’t intend to let anyone else know that the two of you are brothers?”

Julius nodded. “Yes. It will help to avoid any belief of sibling bias. It’s better for Arthur this way.”

“On the contrary, Julius, I believe you should actually let Blood Unit know about it. After all, I intend for Blood Unit to become a family, of sorts. Seeing as the members of Blood are my children, it only seems right. If neither you or Arthur are comfortable with letting people outside of Blood Unit know, that’s fine. But please, try to avoid keeping secrets in the squad itself. Secrets can lead to conflict within the squad and destroy it on the field.”

Julius seemed stunned for a second before replying. “I understand.”

* * *

 

“So you lived in Magnolia Compass too?” Arthur asked.

Nana nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! I’m surprised I didn’t see you during my time there. Though now that I think about it, I didn’t see Captain Julius either.”

“I’ve seen him a couple times.” Arthur replied, the half-truth coming off his lip easily.

“Really? What’s he like?”

“Well, he always seems like he’s thinking about something.” Arthur replied.

Nana put her finger to her chin in thought. “I can see that.”

The two of them continued chatting for a bit when they someone called out to them. “Hey, I’ve never seen you two around before.”

Arthur and Nana turned to the voice, a blonde guy wearing an orange jacket and a beanie. Judging by the black armlet, he was also a member of Blood Unit. Arthur remembered seeing him around Magnolia Compass as well, but never actually learned his name.

“Hi there!” Nana was quick to reply as they stood up.

“Oh, you’re the new recruits everyone’s talking about.”

“Yes, sir! I’m Nana Kozuki. We’re both really excited to work with you, sir!”

_He’s probably the same age as us. Does he really need the formality?_ Arthur had to wonder.

“Sir? That has a nice ring to it. The name’s Romeo. If there’s anything you need to know, I’m your guy. Ask away. I’ll tell you one thing, though. Blood is tough, so you’d better be ready to give it your all.”

Arthur shook his hand. “I’m Arthur. What exactly is Blood Power?”

Romeo seemed to hesitate for a second. “Erm… Well… that’s a good question.”

“You’re not sure yourself, are you?” Arthur asked.

Romeo shook his head. “Oh no, I’m pretty confident in knowing what it is. It’s just describing it that’s difficult. Basically it’s this thing and it lets you learn a special skill and yeah. Our Captain’s pretty incredible.”

“That’s so cool! So can you tell us about your special skill, sir, Romeo, sir?”

“Hey, come on! Don’t ask that kinda thing. It’s not easy to get a special skill. Kinda personal.”

Arthur frowned. “We’re all going to be on the field together in the same unit. It’s probably important that we understand each other’s skills so that we can maximize efficiency on the battlefield.”

“Yeah… Oh, I know! Why don’t you take these questions to Dr. Rachel? She’s the one who founded Blood. See ya!” Romeo laughed nervously before walking off rather quickly.

Nana was confused. “Huh? Is question and answer time over already? Did I ask something I shouldn’t have?”

_Oh Nana, so young, so innocent. Then again, I don’t think I’m that much older than her._ Arthur just shrugged his shoulder. “No clue.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while this is technically a novelization of God Eater 2 Rage Burst, I'll be taking liberties with some of the details.

Arthur wasn’t surprised when Dr. Rachel called over him and Nana to her office. He also wasn’t surprised to see Romeo there as well. What did surprise him was Julius being just outside before he went in.

“Is there something wrong, Julius?” Arthur asked.

Julius shook his head. “Nothing like that. It’s just that Dr. Rachel insisted that we let the rest of the Blood Unit know that we’re brothers.”

Arthur frowned. “I thought we agreed not to say anything to avoid any sort of bias.”

“That’s what I said as well, but Dr. Rachel insisted. Since she intends for Blood to be a family of sorts, she believes that we shouldn’t be keeping secrets from them. Outside the Unit, she doesn’t mind. But we’re required to let the rest of Blood Unit know.”

Arthur sighed. “I understand, Julius.”

Julius nodded. “That’s good. Dr. Rachel will probably mention that when you go in.”

Arthur nodded to his older brother. “Thanks for the heads up.”

When he went in, it was to the greeting of Dr. Rachel.

“Ah, it’s good of you to finally join us, Arthur. Please, have a seat.”

After sitting down, Dr. Rachel began addressing him, Nana and Romeo.

“Welcome, new Cadets of the Blood Unit. I had planned to host a dinner, but…”

“Huh?! You’re just a cadet, too?” Nana looked at Romeo in shock.

_Personally, I thought it was pretty obvious._

“Nana, shut up! Don’t you know who she is?” Romeo tried to shush her.

Dr. Rachel giggled. “I’m glad to see you all getting along so well. Today, I’m going to share with you the mission and purpose of the elite Blood Unit.”

“Cool! We’re all ears, ma’am!” Romeo seemed enthusiastic, prompting Dr. Rachel to continue.

“Aragami brought mankind to the brink of ruin. Only God Eaters had the power to hold back the tide. It is our aim to usher in a new era. Blood is the best of the best. Superior to any God Eater.”

Romeo ate it all up. “Yeah, we are! With Julius and our special powers, nothing can stop us!”

Nana noticed a slight melancholic air hovering over the person on her right. “What’s wrong, Arthur?”

Arthur shook himself out of his daze. “I’m fine.” _Just finding myself jealous of my brother once again. Why did I even join Blood Unit?_

“Precisely. You are chosen. Your strength of will lies dormant in your veins, but can be awakened. When members of our Unit undergo this awakening, they will uplift and inspire other God Eaters.”

She looked at each of them. “Romeo Leoni, Nana Kozuki, Arthur Visconti. The three of you, along with Captain Julius have a duty as members of Blood to lead the other God Eaters. To teach them of their true potential.”

Nana and Romeo quickly turned to look at Arthur. “You’re Julius’s brother?!”

Arthur nodded. “We try not to mention it, avoid trying to create impressions based off the fact that we’re siblings. But yeah, we’re brothers.”

“Should I continue?” Dr. Rachel asked, seemingly unfazed by the continued interruptions.

“O-oh yeah. Please do, Dr. Rachel.”

“Right now, the Blood Power lies dormant within you, but I know you have the will to quicken it. I eagerly await that day.”

Romeo’s enthusiasm knew no bounds. “I won’t let you down, Dr. Rachel!”

“Yeah! I know you’ll do great, Romeo.”

“H-Hey, Nana! You’re Blood too, you know? You’ve got to awaken your potential along with us!”

Arthur couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. Maybe things wouldn’t be too bad.

* * *

 

“So you’re Julius’s brother?” Nana asked.

Arthur nodded. “We’re about two years apart.”

“And you were at Magnolia Compass also… How did I never meet you while I was there?” Romeo asked.

“Hey, you didn’t meet me either, Romeo.” Nana pointed out.

“That’s true, but I should have met Arthur at the very least. You and Julius got to Magnolia Compass at the same time, right?”

Arthur nodded. “We got split into different classes because of the gap in our age, so we didn’t get that many chances to talk.”

“But man, being on the same squad as your brother must be stressful, with everyone probably expecting you to live up to Julius’s reputation. You sure you’ll be alright?” Romeo asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thanks, Romeo.” Arthur smiled. _First time someone’s actually shown concern about that. I think I’m starting to like Romeo._

Julius walked up to Arthur. “Has Dr. Rachel already mentioned it?”

Arthur nodded. “Yes.”

“Man, Julius! You never told me you had a brother.”

“You didn’t ask.” Julius pointed out.

“That aside, is there something you needed, Julius?” Arthur asked.

Julius nodded. “You and Nana will be having your first field training today. We’ll meet at the old city.”

“Wow, our first field test?” Nana asked, apparently more amazed than Arthur was. “What’s it going to be like?”

“You’ll see once you arrive, Nana.” Julius said. “Be there in an hour.”

“Yes, sir!” Nana saluted as Julius walked off. “Man, your brother is so cool, Arthur.”

Arthur shrugged. “I’ve known him for eighteen years. The whole novelty of it wore off a long time ago.”

* * *

 

Julius’s earpiece rang out as Fran called him. “Captain Julius. I was not informed that you would be accompanying the new recruits.”

“My apologies, Fran. I simply have a great deal of confidence in them. I wish to see their talents firsthand.”

He could hear Fran sigh over the comms. “Understood, sir. But, in the future, please endeavor to keep me informed for their sake? I understand that Arthur is your brother, but you still need to follow protocol.”

Julius merely chuckled. “Yes, of course. Though this doesn’t have much to do with Arthur specifically.”

“Well, I hope they live up to your expectations, Captain. Good luck.”

The communications went off just in time for Julius to hear the footsteps of the new cadets. “Good, you’re here.”

Arthur and Nana made it to Julius before both of them threw their hands up in salutes.

“Cadet Second Class Nana Kozuki, reporting for duty in the Blood Special Forces unit, sir! I’m super proud to be here.”

 _Heh, she has the enthusiasm._ Julius thought to himself. He didn’t really expect a similar reply from Arthur, seeing as his brother tended towards being more quiet.

“Welcome to Blood. I am Captain Julius Visconti.”

“Is that uniform actually practical for combat, Julius?” Arthur couldn’t seem to resist.

“I could say the same about your longcoat, soldier.” Julius fired back, indirectly reminding Arthur that they needed to respect rank on the field.

“Point.” Arthur conceded.

Julius turned around. “Now, without further ado, let’s begin your field training.”

Nana seemed confused by the sudden transition. “What?”

“Look out there. Those are the beasts that threaten the future of the human race. The aragami. How you slay them is of no concern, but do not halt until they stop breathing. Understood?” Julius turned back to the cadets.

Nana, for her part, seemed almost terrified. “Wait, you mean we… we’re fighting against real Aragami? Like for real?”

“Indeed, Cadet. You would learn little if you never fought on a real battlefield. Simply do all I know you can, and those monsters will pose no threat. All right?”

An ogretail suddenly jumped up from behind them. Arthur immediately responded by using his body to shield Nana. Julius almost smirked in amusement as he caught the aragami by the teeth, locking it perfectly so that his fist was on the surface of ogretail’s shut mouth. When Arthur finally turned around, it was to this sight.

Julius shifted his god arc into blade mode before knocking away the aragami. “Humanity has faced enemies since ancient times. Humanity has always prevailed. I know we do not have sharp fangs and rending claws to face off against our foes. But we have gifts they do not possess: Strategy, unity, cooperation and, most of all, the strength of will that binds us together. Willpower is the fiercest weapon— our fiercest weapon. Never forget that. It’s time. Forward!”

As they jumped into the fray, he could hear Arthur muttering “Show off” behind him.

* * *

 

Arthur blocked another hit from a dreadpike before slashing at it to kill it. He was breathing heavily, which he should have been surprised by, but wasn’t. “So Nana how are you holding up?’

As Nana knocked away another aragami, she backed up. “I’m doing alright… I guess. It’d be great if they were a bit nicer.”

“Yeah, probably not happening.” Arthur huffed. “Simulations were definitely way easier than this.”

“Really? But I heard you excelled at your simulations.”

“That’s the problem. They were too easy. Incoming!”

Arthur ducked in time for Nana to swing her hammer around and send the incoming ogretail to the ground before Arthur switched to blast gun mode and obliterated the aragami.

“That was the last one, right?”

“Yeah… we did it.” Arthur finally relaxed a bit, until he heard the comms suddenly buzz again.

“We have an aragami sighting incoming.”

“What breed?” Julius asked.

“Ogretails. They’ll be here any moment.”

“Very well. Arcs up!”

Arthur grit his teeth. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“Well, at least Julius is still well-rested. Right?” Nana asked.

“This is our field test, remember? I wouldn’t be surprised if he stood there watching for the rest of this as well.” Arthur reminded her.

Nana moaned. “Oh man. I’m going to be so hungry after this.”

When the new group of aragami arrived, Arthur and Nana found themselves in a standoff against them, neither side wanting to take a step. Julius decided to take that moment to step in, god arc at the ready. “Cadets, you’ve done well today. This is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the abilities you are to awaken.”

Having said that, Julius shifted into what Arthur recognized as Zero Stance, an ideal position for long blade users like himself to easily transition into other attacks. What was different though, was that instead of being just a neutral stance, it instantly energized Arthur and Nana. Arthur’s eyes widened as he realized that he was no longer feeling as tired.

“Oh, wow! So awesome!”

“What did you do, Julius?”

“I focus that willpower to execute a blood art. Stand fast!”

Nana asked the question that was on both hers and Arthur’s mind. “What’s a blood art?”

“A talent that can shift the very tide of battle in your favor. Blood Arts are innate skills, forged of the very fire in your veins.”

Arthur didn’t even have a chance to blink before Julius shot forward, cutting through all the ogretails in his path in an instant.

“That was a blood art. This power will constantly develop and strengthen as we do. With it, we can face any aragami. Always remember that this is a part of you. Nothing can stand against it.”

The younger of the two Visconti siblings could only stare in awe at the power his brother had demonstrated. _We’re expected to achieve that one day?_

That thought was followed up by nothing less than all the built up exhaustion finally being released at once. Arthur didn’t even wait until he got back to Friar, their base of operations. He just fell asleep where he sat in the chopper.


	4. Chapter 4

“Mind if I sit by you?” Romeo asked.

Arthur popped open an eye from where he was napping in the garden. “Sleepy…”

Romeo chuckled. “Yeah, I get that. I’ll try not to bother you too much. Just wanted to know you a bit better. You know, since we’re in the same unit and all.”

“Sure. Go ahead.” Arthur mumbled.

Romeo sat down beside him. “So how’d you and Nana’s first mission go? I heard Julius demonstrated his Blood abilities near the end.”

“Honestly? It was kind of awe-inspiring, seeing Julius pull out a talent like that. I didn’t even know God Eaters could do stuff like that.”

“Yeah, Blood’s unique like that. But how were the two of you afterwards?”

“Nana’s probably snacking on more oden sandwiches right now. Meanwhile, I’m here napping my energy back. What no one tells you about Julius’s Blood Power is that after it energizes you, it leaves you even more tired. We’ll adapt to it eventually, but that was an exhausting first experience.”

Romeo nodded sagely. “I feel you. It was pretty much the same way for me as well. Say, do you mind if I ask some more personal questions?”

“Ask away.” Arthur was too tired to care.

“So I asked Dr. Rachel a little bit more about you, and I think I’m starting to understand why neither you nor Julius wanted to mention the fact that the two of you are siblings.” Romeo began.

On second thought, Arthur cared very much. _Oh boy, it’s these questions._ Arthur was starting to feel a bit of irritation.

“You were the Problem Child back when you were in Magnolia Compass, weren’t you?” Romeo asked.

Arthur sighed. “I always hated that nickname. Yes, I was the Problem Child. The one who ran away from the orphanage almost three years ago before being returned. That nickname was a constant reminder of the expectations I had failed to meet, with Julius being my talented older brother and all that.”

“Man, that must have been rough. I knew of your existence, but no matter how hard I looked, I could never actually find you. I thought the rumors couldn’t have been as bad as they made you to be, but I couldn’t prove it. Was it that difficult being Julius’s brother?”

The younger Visconti sibling nodded. “You know how talented of a student Julius was when he was a student at Magnolia Compass, right? They expected just as much out of me. And I disappointed. Dr. Rachel didn’t seem to share that same sentiment, saying I only needed more time, but the rest of them essentially discarded me.”

“Everyone else? Who did you spend most of your time around?” Romeo asked.

“Dr. Leah. She was the only person who talked to me regularly on a friendly basis.” Arthur replied, remembering the red-haired older sister of Dr. Rachel fondly.

Romeo frowned. “That still doesn’t explain why you became a God Eater. I thought you’d want to be as far away as possible from Julius after everything.”

When Arthur next spoke, it was with a new level of respect. “When I was on the run, I had the bad luck of running into a Vajra. It would’ve eaten me, but a team of God Eaters rescued me. That’s the reason I’m a God Eater right now. Not because of Julius, but because of the squad of God Eaters that rescued me all those years ago.”

“So you don’t hate Julius?”

“Not really. I did want to avoid him after everything, but we’ve come to an understanding, seeing as I’m here right now. Everyone in Blood deserves to know our relationship. Outside of Blood though, I’d rather keep it quiet because if they know, they’ll start saying that I can do what I do because I’m Julius’s brother.”

Romeo nodded before getting up. “I gotcha. We’ll be on the next mission together, so catch some more rest before you do anything else, alright? If you have any problems, you can bring them to good ol’ Romeo, ‘kay?”

Arthur smiled a bit. “I’ll remember that. Thanks, Romeo.”

* * *

 

If there was one thing Arthur was certain of, it was that he had just made his first friend. Nana didn’t count quite yet. Julius was his brother, and Dr. Rachel and Dr. Leah were technically his mentors.

“You wanted to see me, Dr. Rachel?” Romeo asked.

The founder of Blood nodded. “I saw what you did for Arthur. That was sweet of you, reaching out to Arthur.”

“Yeah, it didn’t sit right with me, knowing that there was someone I could’ve helped at Magnolia Compass but didn’t.” Romeo frowned. “What did you think of him?”

“Arthur is a sweet child, my dear Romeo. His gift does not lie in his talent like Julius’s does, but rather in how he cares for other people. You do remember that one time everyone in the orphanage received new clothes, do you not?”

“That was Arthur?” Romeo asked.

Dr. Rachel nodded. “He took up sewing and knitting as a hobby and took those skills to give everyone something. It was a large task he undertook, but he completed it.”

Romeo remembered that. After all, that was how he received the beanie he now wore. “That’s amazing! But how did he know what to make?”

Dr. Rachel chuckled. “He asked my sister for a list of things everyone might have wanted. But please, don’t mention that to him. He didn’t want to get overwhelmed by thanks. Instead of thanking him, I would ask that you continue to be a friend to him.”

“Of course, Dr. Rachel!” Romeo nodded vigorously. “I won’t let you down!”

* * *

 

Blood Unit’s first mission as a 4-man team went about as well as Julius expected. Though they only had to deal with Night Hollows and Cocoon Maidens, which were mainly a threat at range. Getting close usually meant that they could finish it off easily. However, Romeo had his own concerns. Which was why the day after, the members of Blood, sans Captain Julius, were doing a bit of extra review regarding the mission.

“So in summary, the best way to deal with the stationary Aragami is to get in close, seeing as they have limited close-range abilities?” Arthur surmised.

“Basically. You need to be careful with the cocoon maidens though. Those spikes are vicious. You guys are way too reckless, always charging in at the Aragami.” Romeo commented.

“Hey, Nana’s the one charging in. I’m just going in with her to make sure she has backup.” Arthur pointed out.

Romeo wasn’t convinced. “Still, you have to stay back. You know, analyze the enemies’ movements.”

Nana had her own protests. “Sounds like being a chicken to me!” The girl started making chicken noises to emphasize her point, closing in on Romeo.

“Hey, uh, Nana! Gettin’ kinda close there…”

Somehow, the victim of all that wasn’t Romeo, but rather Arthur. The poor Visconti sibling found himself pushed back by the chain reaction of shoving, colliding with someone only a moment later.

“Ah, I’m sorry!” Arthur turned around to see a girl he had never met before, who quite frankly, may have been one of the most beautiful girls he’d ever lay his eyes on.

“Oh, sorry about that, Arthur—” Romeo suddenly found himself slackjawed.

“What are you kids doing?! Miss Yuno, I apologize for this behavior.” A large man, who Arthur recognized as Director Grem, the highest authority in Friar, looked rather cross with the three God Eaters.

The blonde girl shook her head. “Please, it’s fine.”

Arthur had his disagreement. “It’s not. I should have paid more attention to my surroundings. I’m sorry about that.”

“Ah, Arthur! Here you are! I was wondering why I didn’t see you at the orphanage. How are you doing?” A redhead came into Arthur’s vision.

Arthur’s mood lightened up all of a sudden. “Dr. Leah! It’s been too long. It’s good to see you again.”

“And you as well, Arthur. Do try to be more careful, though. Oh, and you two as well. You shouldn’t be horsing around in the lobby. I know you don’t want to interrupt our important guests.”

“Of course, Dr. Leah. It won’t happen again.”

The Director huffed as he walked off. “At least one of you shows good manners. It’s one of the few good things that we get out of having the other Visconti child in Friar. I apologize for the other rude children. They’re really only good for fighting, you know.”

If not for the fact that he was a superior officer, Arthur would have found himself in the brig for assault. Only Dr. Leah kept him in place. “Steady, Arthur. You don’t want to anger him.”

With that, the doctor walked to the elevator, leaving the three God Eaters to their own devices.

“Arthur? Are you alright?” Nana asked, having seen his face contort in anger just a few moments ago.

“I’ll be fine. More importantly, how is Romeo? I think we lost him.” Arthur turned to look at the blonde.

“Do you not know who that is? That’s Yuno Ashihara!” Romeo nearly screamed his head off like a fangirl.

Nana didn’t get it. “Um, do you know what he’s talking about?”

Arthur shook his head, confused as well. He figured she was important, he just didn’t know in what aspect.

“Are you kidding me?! That’s Yuno! The most awesome idol ever to live! She’s so pretty!”

Arthur glanced over at the elevator where the trio was waiting, curious. _An idol? What would she be doing here? Maybe helping with promoting Friar’s public image._

As if sensing his gaze, the girl turned to look back at Arthur, with an inquisitive glance on her face. Arthur looked away, somewhat embarrassed to have been caught looking. Just in time to see Nana talk to him. “Come on, let’s get going.”

He nodded, walking off while Romeo was still in his daze.

Said member of Blood took a couple moments to realize what was happening. “Hey! Wait for Romeo!”

Yuno stared for a moment before having a small giggle.

They were certainly interesting people.

* * *

 

“Dr. Leah told me what happened between you and Director Grem.” Julius had a frown while he and Arthur talked. “I’m sorry about that.”

The mission was to eliminate some more aragami, which they had handled rather easily. While there were reports that more ogretails were on the way to their location, there was enough time to take a short break. Which meant that the two Visconti siblings ended up talking.

“There’s nothing you could have done to change the situation, Julius.” Arthur shook his head. “I can get by if I avoid the director for the most part. That aside, is there something else you wanted to talk about?”

Julius nodded. “We’ll be receiving a new member in the Blood Unit soon. I was hoping you would be the one to show him around.”

Arthur replied. “I can do that. But why not you? You’re the Captain. I’m just one of the members.”

“That’s the point. I’m the Captain. Because of my rank, I need to be the one that remains strict and set an example. You need to be the foil to that. Can I count on you?”

The younger Visconti pondered the thought for about a minute before nodding. “Yes. I can do that.”

“The ogretails will be arriving any moment. Be ready.” Fran messaged them through the comms.

Julius stood up. “Understood. Arcs up!”

* * *

 

“Something’s bothering you, Leah.” Dr. Rachel said. It wasn’t a question.

Leah sighed. “I’m worried about Arthur. You know how much he hates being compared to Julius.”

Rachel turned around. This warranted her attention. “Is what Director Grem said still bothering him? Julius said he seemed to have gotten over it.”

She had heard about it by chance, mainly because Julius had brought it to her attention. There hadn’t been much to discuss, as Julius had mentioned that Arthur had apparently gotten over it quickly.

Leah shook her head. “You know what Arthur’s like. He’s not the kind of person to forget something like that easily.”

While it wasn’t unheard of, it was rare to find people that were more attached to Dr. Leah than they were to Dr. Rachel. Arthur was one of those few exceptions. This gave the older of the two Claudius sisters a much better understanding of him than the younger one had.

Arthur preferred to be addressed for the individual he was, not the member of the Visconti family that he would have been known as. When Director Grem had addressed Arthur as being a Visconti, it hadn’t gotten on his nerves. It had triggered him. Arthur had made it clear a while back that he didn’t want to be recognized by any relation to other people, but rather by his own decisions.

Rachel frowned. “I see. I should talk to Arthur later.”

“Please do. I just hope he doesn’t take it out on Mr. McLane.”

* * *

 

Gilbert McLane, more often known as Gil, considered himself a level-headed person. He disliked acting recklessly for any reason, and preferred to do some assessment of the situation before he acted. Running into a situation blind almost never paid off.

All this rationale could not prevent him from socking the blonde guy who was pestering him for answers.

When he first arrived at Friar, he was set upon almost immediately by said blonde, who pestered him with questions, raising Gil’s ire until he couldn’t help it anymore.

The fist went out before the kid could react.

“Ow! What the heck was that for?”

As Gil retracted his fist, he heard some footsteps behind him. “What’s going on here, soldier?”

“Umm, to be honest, things got kinda outta hand.”

“All I did was ask where he was transferring from! Then he just hauled off and slugged me!”

Gil remembered things quite differently, but he didn’t point it out. Instead, he turned to the person he assumed would be his superior. “Are you the Blood captain? I’m Gilbert McLane. You can call me Gil. As for the kid, well he was out of line, so I socked him in the face.”

Turning around, Gil walked to the elevator. “Just throw me in the brig or whatever you do here. I’m out.”

He noticed the other member of Blood there, who looked fairly similar to the captain, but he ignored it for the moment. He was already irritated just a couple minutes after he made it to Friar. All thanks to that kid.

When Gilbert made it to the garden, he took the time to sit down and close his eyes, calming himself down. It was only a few minutes later that the elevator door opened again. Opening his eyes, he noticed the same member of the Blood Unit that he had passed by earlier.

“Oh. It’s you. Have they decided how they’re going to punish me?” Gil was a tad bit apprehensive. He did commit an offense after all.

Said Blood member shook his head. “You and Romeo are going to make amends.”

Gil’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is that so? That Julius guy is the captain, right? I didn’t think he would be so prickly about this. I did what I had to do, when it needed to be done. And I won’t apologize for that.”

“In a squad with as few members as us, we can’t afford in-fighting. Each one of us needs the other to survive on the battlefield.”

Gilbert nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry about that. I’ll apologize to that Romeo kid later.”

“You can always talk to me, too. I’m usually open to conversation.” The kid (Gil figured he was just as young as Romeo) offered.

For some reason, that made Gilbert chuckle. “You’re just as prickly as the captain too, aren’t you? Look, a lot of things happened back in Scotland. I’ll tell you about it another time. Maybe we should start over. I’m Gilbert McLane. I transferred here from the Glasgow branch. I may be a new guy in Blood, but I’ve been a God Eater for five years. I’m good at what I do.”

The kid shook Gilbert’s hand. “Arthur Visconti. I’m still on my first month as a God Eater, so I have a lot to learn.”

That got Gilbert’s interest. “Visconti? Are the two of you—”

“Brothers, yes.” Arthur replied. “But here in Blood, we’re all equal as far as Julius is concerned. Just don’t mention it outside of Blood. People always look at me weird whenever they hear that Julius and I are related.”

“Hey, I get it. Everyone’s got something they don’t like to talk about.”

Arthur smiled. “Thanks for understanding.”

Gilbert nodded.

Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as he originally thought.


End file.
